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Summer Santa �just brought the bikes� By Paul Fattig Martina Looking Horse was used to empty promises. "People were always promising they are going to do something," says the Lakota Sioux Indian, who lives on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota. "They always said they were going to get you this or that. But they never came through." But she now knows there are exceptions, thanks to Christmas Day last June. That�s right. June. Yet she was understandably dubious when she got the phone call from Ashland resident Dean Royce late last spring. The two had never met but had a mutual friend in Ashland resident Dave Chief. Looking Horse, 42, a freelance writer, mentioned the annual play day she organized for reservation children late each June. "It�s a day when we have games for the kids and give them prizes," she says. "I remember telling Dean that there were only one or two bikes here, and that I wished each kid had a bike to ride." Royce, 68, a commercial real estate broker, said he would do something about that. Yeah, right, thought Looking Horse. But Royce was on the phone the next day, peddling his pedal project. Goodwill stores from Ashland to Grants Pass chipped in bikes. So did the Medford Police Department and Recycles Bicycles in Central Point. The University Cycle Store and Siskiyou Cyclery Inc. in Ashland added parts and repair manuals. Individuals also stepped in. The daughter of one of his son Jordon�s teachers contributed her bike. By the time the dust had settled, Royce had collected 200 used bicycles. Some were purchased, many were freely given. When Royce then went to the Grocery Outlet in Medford to purchase cases of shampoo, light bulbs, sugar and coffee � items Looking Horse said were needed by families on the reservation � the manager personally guided him around to show him the best buys. And the manager tossed in a brand new girl�s bike for free. "As soon as I told people what I was doing, they wanted to help," says Royce, a soft-spoken fellow whose friends say he is known for quietly helping others. Reared in a blue-collar environment in San Diego, Royce figures people ought to help each other. "I�ve always had a spiritual pursuit," he explains, adding, "My family has an infinitesimal amount of Native American in us." He rented a 42-foot truck and crammed it with the bicycles. He packed the grocery items into his van. With the van in tow, Royce, a friend, Joe Hebert, and Royce�s son hit the road for the reservation in mid-June. "I�ve never done anything like that before," he says. "I just felt like I had to do something. It felt good to do it." To understand how it felt for those on the reservation, let�s go back to Looking Horse. "The reservation is like a Third World country," Looking Horse explains of the land where she was raised. "Many of the homes still have outdoor bathrooms and no electricity." Jobs are as scarce as promises kept. The unemployment rate is about 90 percent, she estimates. "It�s very bleak," she says. "Dean was like a ray of sunshine to us. He never asked for anything in return. He just brought the bikes." Royce arrived in Green Grass, the hamlet where Looking Horse lives, a few days before the annual play day. "When he opened the back of that U-Haul truck, the kids were just beaming," she says. "This is first time anyone has done anything like that for our children. They are so used to not having anything." The fact most of the bicycles were used didn�t matter, she says. "All the kids in the community got bikes," she says. "Some were left over so the kids from Eagle Butte (another hamlet) were invited to come over to get a bike. "Those bikes he brought in June were the only gifts most of the children will see this year," she adds. "Words just can�t describe the feeling it gave people. It was like Christmas for the kids. Christmas in June." Royce already has more than a dozen bicycles lined up but is looking for more for his next trip, tentatively set for this spring. That�s when the Ashland Santa will return to the reservation. You can reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.